Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Although neither of these guides to antiques is particularly scholarly, McKenzie's is certainly more credible (albeit less fun to read) than Loomis's. McKenzie provides useful tips--not only for the business pro but also for the flea-market junkie--on how to rummage for, buy, and sell antiques and on how to establish a profitable business, with suggestions on such matters as calculating inventory turnover and handling tax records. He provides information on how to do minor repairs on collectibles and also offers guidance on major restoration projects, such as rebuilding old trunks or resilvering mirrors. The writing is straightforward, the advice is practical as well as easy to understand, and the book would be of interest to most antiques buffs. The title of the Loomis book pretty much sums up its content. While it does offer tips on "the hunt" and subsequent bargaining (and the etiquette of dealing with sellers), its primary focus is on the dating and identification of a wide variety of antiques (everything from World's Fair collectibles to Shaker furniture). While Loomis's breezy style may annoy some, readers familiar with his television appearances and videos will probably find this book enjoyable. Because his information is occasionally contradictory (he asserts, for example, that porcelain was first produced in Europe at the Meissen factory in Germany in 1709; two pages later he states that the French made porcelain in 1673), this book should not be considered an essential purchase unless there is patron demand.--Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L.

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Meet the Author

James W. McKenzie is presently a self-employed antique dealer and restorer who has 20 years of experience working in various antique businesses, putting much know-how advice into his book, Antiques on the Cheap. He has had 27 years of hands-on experience in restoration work and selling and currently restores American art pottery for other dealers. James has been married for 35 years to his wife, Wanda, and has two daughters and three grandchildren. He lives in West Virginia.

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Customer Reviews

Anonymous

Posted February 3, 2001

Book is true to its name

I love antiquing as a hobby. Unlike similar titles, which basically shared common sense things, this book offered insight into antiques dealers, who as a group sometimes seem an exclusive, tight-lipped, intimidating little club. It shares how dealers get great deals, what & where to buy, what to avoid, and most importantly how to acquire 'antiques on the cheap'. (One suggestion I liked: Buy boxes of miscellaneous stuff at an auction, ferret out the things you can fix up/ have some value and leave the rest behind as trash so you're not stuck with a lot of useless junk to cart home. Then before you leave the auction, go through whatever anyone else has left behind as their useless junk! Then it's free to you:) This is straight talk, from someone who's not afraid to share some of the 'dirty little secrets' of how antiques dealers' make their money. So if you want to be an antiques dealer-- or want to get nice things as cheaply as they do-- you'll like this book. This book inspired me to do a few little fixer-up projects myself-- with the book's suggestions-- and they turned out pretty darn good.

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Anonymous

Posted May 14, 2000

A great book for antiques lovers, buyers, and sellers

If you don't have a lot of money but you love old things, this book will help you find bargains and turn your finds into things of beauty. If you want to become a dealer with a very small investment this is the book for you! Learn to clean, buy, sell, or repair almost anything.

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